Joliet National Guardsman and Cousin Charged in Terrorist Plot to Attack Illinois Military Installation

A Joliet-based National Guardsman and his cousin appeared in federal court Thursday afternoon on charges that both devised a plot where one would attack an Illinois military facility while the other traveled to the Middle East to fight with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Army National Guard Specialist Hasan Edmonds, 22, was arrested Wednesday at Chicago Midway International Airport as he was trying to leave for Cairo, Egypt, by agents from Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

His cousin, Jonas Edmonds, was arrested at home. Both men are U.S. citizens and live in Aurora. They have been charged with one count each of conspiring to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization.

According to the federal complaint, Hasan Edmonds first came to the attention of the attention of the FBI in late 2014, when an investigation revealed he and his cousin were allegedly plotting for Hasan Edmonds to travel overseas to join ISIL. Hasan, a current member of the Illinois Army National Guard, had planned to use his military training to wage violence on behalf of ISIL.

» ALSO ON PATCH: FBI Advises Orland Park Police About Name on ISIS ‘Hit List’

The FBI said that Hasan Edmonds had booked airline reserves to fly out of Chicago on Wednesday and arrive in Cairo on Thursday. After Hasan Edmonds departed, Jonas Edmonds was tasked to attack the unnamed Illinois military installation.

The complaint further alleged that the Aurora cousins had met with an undercover FBI employee and revealed their plan to carry out an armed attack against a U.S. military facility in northern Illinois where Hasan Edmonds had been training.

Jonas Edmonds allegedly asked the undercover FBI employee to assist them in the attack, using Hasan Edmonds’ uniforms to access and knowledge of the facility to access the installation and target officers for attack, the complaint said.

» RELATED: Bolingbrook Teen’s Mom Accuses ISIS of ‘Brainwashing Children’

The complaint did not name which Illinois facility the Aurora cousins planned to attack. The National Guard stated that Hasan Edmonds had been assigned to Golf Company of the 634th Brigade Support Battalion in Joliet.

Conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Also on Patch

• Midway Airport’s Gun Toll Exceeds 2014 Already

• Cops Save Tourist Who Collapsed in Downtown Chicago

• Birthday Acts of Kindness: Mom Has Kids Perform Kind Acts to Celebrate